Capacitor and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

A capacitor includes a capacitor element that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and that includes electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side, and separators that intervenes between the electrode bodies; a sealing member that seals an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element; at least one electrode protrusion that protrudes from one of the electrode bodies on an element end-face of the capacitor element, at least one of current collector plate that is connected to the electric protrusion; and at least one terminal member that is disposed in the sealing member, and is superposed on the current collector plate, a side face part of the terminal member being welded to a side face part of the current collector plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A capacitor comprising:
 a capacitor element that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and that includes electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side, and separators that intervenes between the electrode bodies; 
 a sealing member that seals an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element; 
 at least one electrode protrusion that protrudes from one of the electrode bodies on an element end-face of the capacitor element, 
 at least one current collector plate that is connected to the at least one electrode protrusion; and 
 at least one terminal member that is disposed in the sealing member, and is superposed on the at least one current collector plate, a side face part of the at least one terminal member being welded to a side face part of the at least one current collector plate, wherein 
 a side face part of the at least one current collector plate is positioned on a side face part of the at least one terminal member, and 
 a welding is carried out by using both of the side face parts of the at least one terminal member and the at least one current collector plate as a common face. 
 
     
     
       2. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one electrode protrusion is an aggregate that is formed by part of one electrode body, which is in the electrode bodies, and is bent toward an element center of the capacitor element to be molded on the element end-face, and is joined to the at least one current collector plate. 
 
     
     
       3. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one electrode protrusion is an anode protrusion that protrudes from the electrode body in the anode side of the capacitor element on the element end-face, or a cathode protrusion that protrudes from the electrode body in the cathode side of the capacitor element on the element end-face, or 
 the capacitor includes two electrode protrusions as the at least one electrode protrusion, which are the anode protrusion and the cathode protrusion, on a same element end-face same as the element end-face, or which are the anode protrusion and a cathode protrusion that protrudes from the electrode body in the cathode side on an element end-face different from the element end-face, where the anode protrusion protrudes. 
 
     
     
       4. The capacitor of  claim 3 , wherein
 when the anode protrusion and the cathode protrusion are placed on the element end-face of the capacitor element that is common thereto, the anode protrusion and the cathode protrusion are isolated by arrangement of an isolation distance or are insulated by placement of an insulating member. 
 
     
     
       5. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one electrode protrusion is formed over the element end-face of the capacitor element; and 
 the at least one current collector plate includes 
 at least one first welded face that is welded to a welded face which is formed on the at least one electrode protrusion, and 
 a second welded face that is provided for the side face part crossing the first welded face, and is welded to the at least one terminal member. 
 
     
     
       6. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one electrode protrusion includes 
 a plurality of sections that are formed by each division with a predetermined angle that uses an element center of the element end-face, and by bending toward the element center with a certain bending angle or each different bending angle; and 
 at least one welded face that is formed on the element end-face by the sections. 
 
     
     
       7. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one current collector plate includes a flat part that protrudes from the side face part welded to the at least one terminal member in a direction of an outer circumference. 
 
     
     
       8. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one terminal member is welded to the at least one current collector plate by laser welding or electron beam welding, and irradiated positions for contact faces of the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member with a laser beam or an electron beam are varied. 
 
     
     
       9. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 a cover that is formed on the at least one current collector plate or the at least one terminal member covers contact faces of the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member, and 
 the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member are welded to each other by irradiation with a laser beam or an electron beam on the cover. 
 
     
     
       10. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one terminal member is welded to the at least one current collector plate by laser welding or electron beam welding, and a nugget depth by the laser welding or the electron beam welding is 1.2 mm or below. 
 
     
     
       11. The capacitor of  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one terminal member is welded to the at least one current collector plate by fiber laser beam. 
 
     
     
       12. A method for manufacturing a capacitor, the method comprising:
 making electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side protrude on an element end-face of a capacitor element that includes the electrode bodies and separators intervening between the electrode bodies, and that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and forming at least one electrode protrusion on the element end-face; 
 superposing at least one terminal member that is disposed in a sealing member sealing an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element, on at least one current collector plate that is connected to the at least one electrode protrusion; and 
 positioning a side face part of the at least one current collector plate on a side face part of the at least one terminal member, wherein 
 a welding is carried out by using both of the side face parts of the at least one terminal member and the at least one current collector plate as a common face. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 superposing the at least one terminal member on the at least one current collector plate, and making the at least one terminal member and the at least one current collector plate be in contact with each other; and 
 varying irradiated positions for contact faces of the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member with a laser beam or an electron beam, and welding the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 superposing the at least one current collector plate on the at least one electrode protrusion, setting a weld line on the at least one current collector plate in a direction crossing the electrode bodies of the capacitor element, and welding the at least one current collector plate to the at least one electrode protrusion along the weld line. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 placing the at least one current collector plate on the at least one electrode protrusion, setting a weld line that extends from a welding start point to a welding end point on the at least one current collector plate, and connecting the at least one current collector plate to the at least one electrode protrusion by irradiation with a beam, the weld line being sequentially irradiated with the beam, power of the beam being varied sequentially or step by step. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12 , wherein
 the side face part of the at least one terminal member and the side face part of the at least one current collector plate are welded to each other by fiber laser beam. 
 
     
     
       17. A method for manufacturing a capacitor, the method comprising:
 making electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side protrude on an element end-face of a capacitor element that includes the electrode bodies and separators intervening between the electrode bodies, and that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and forming at least one electrode protrusion on the element end-face; 
 superposing at least one terminal member that is disposed in a sealing member sealing an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element, on at least one current collector plate that is connected to the at least one electrode protrusion; 
 providing a cover for the at least one terminal member or the at least one current collector plate, which is connected to the at least one electrode protrusion, and covering contact faces of the at least one terminal member and the at least one current collector plate by the cover; and 
 setting an irradiating position that is irradiated with a laser beam or an electron beam at the cover, and welding a side face part of the at least one current collector plate and a side face part of the at least one terminal member. 
 
     
     
       18. A method for manufacturing a capacitor, the method comprising:
 making electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side protrude on an element end-face of a capacitor element that includes the electrode bodies and separators intervening between the electrode bodies, and that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and forming electrode protrusions on the element end-face; 
 superposing current collector plates on the electrode protrusions respectively, setting weld lines on the current collector plates in a direction crossing the electrode bodies of the capacitor element, and welding the current collector plates to the electrode protrusions along the weld lines respectively; and 
 superposing at least one terminal member that is disposed in a sealing member sealing an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element, on at least one current collector plate that is connected to one of the electrode protrusions, and welding a side face part of the at least one terminal member and a side face part of the at least one current collector plate, wherein 
 weld lines that are adjacent to each other are set on the current collector plates that face each other across an isolation distance, the weld lines that are adjacent to each other in a particular place are sequentially welded, the particular place being across an element center of the capacitor element, and after that, weld lines in a place other than the particular place are sequentially welded, and the current collector plates and the electrode protrusions of the capacitor element are welded along the weld lines that are adjacent to each other in each of the particular place and the place other than the particular place respectively. 
 
     
     
       19. A method for manufacturing a capacitor, the method comprising:
 making electrode bodies each of which is in an anode side and a cathode side protrude on an element end-face of a capacitor element that includes the electrode bodies and separators intervening between the electrode bodies, and that is a wound element or an element other than the wound element, and forming at least one electrode protrusion on the element end-face; 
 forming a first connecting face on at least one current collector plate, which is placed on the element end-face of the capacitor element to be connected to the anode side or the cathode side, the first connecting face being arcuate in a side face direction of the capacitor element; 
 forming a second connecting face on at least one terminal member that is disposed in a sealing member sealing an opening of a case member accommodating the capacitor element, the second connecting face being concentric with the first connecting face on the at least one current collector plate; 
 superposing the at least one terminal member on the at least one current collector plate that is connected to the at least one electrode protrusion; 
 placing the first connecting face and the second connecting face side by side, and using the capacitor element or a welding means that irradiates the first connecting face and the second connecting face with a beam to rotationally move the capacitor element or the welding means; and 
 welding the first connecting face and the second connecting face, and connecting the at least one current collector plate and the at least one terminal member.